AN EPILEPTIC woman suffered horrific burns after falling against a scalding radiator during a seizure.
Natasha McQuinn, 30, had just got out of the shower when she fell to the floor – with doctors believing she lay unconscious for half an hour while “burning alive”.
Collects The 30-year-old said she now wanted a hysterectomy to control her hormones and hopefully stop her seizures
Collects Natasha McQuinn had a seizure and fell on the bathroom radiator, suffering painful burns
Horrific photos show her blistered skin peeling off her back and shoulders after she suffered the third degree burns.
Now, she is too scared to bath or shower alone, and too terrified to cook or leave the house by herself.
She is begging doctors for a hysterectomy in a bid to stop the epileptic seizures that are connected to hormone changes.
Speaking to the Sun Online, Natasha said: “This freak accident has affected me more mentally than physically.
“It has left me with nightmares and panic attacks.”
She said she can suffer up to five chronic seizures a week – with doctors unwilling to perform the hysterectomy in case Natasha ever wants children.
But she said she is too scared to even have kids, currently on sick leave from her office job as she continues to recover from the painful accident.
‘BURNED ALIVE’
Stomach-churning photographs reveal the devastating injuries she suffered in August last year.
She was left needing several skin grafts and dozens of hospital visits to finally get on the road to recovery.
Natasha said: “I had just got out of the shower and I was standing near the radiator with a towel.
“Next thing I know I woke up against the radiator – slumped against it with no memory.
“I had fallen backwards by the look of it.
“When I woke I could smell burning flesh and my skin was like melted chewing gum, all stretchy and gooey.”
She said she didn’t feel pain immediately – later told by doctors this was because she had burnt her nerve endings.
I’ve lost all independenceTasha McQuinn
The office clerk, who lives in West Yorkshire, said she immediately called a taxi to go to hospital, but was confused as she arrived.
“After seizures I have problems with my memory so I didn’t know my name or date of birth,” she said.
“They looked at the burn straight away and said by the look of it, I had a five minute seizure against the red hot radiator and then was unconscious for 30 minutes.”
Natasha said she had started having seizures when she was 21, often triggered by hormones or heat.
Now, the young woman says she is struggling to regain her independence after the traumatic incident.
How a hysterectomy could help alleviate epileptic seizures
Epilepsy is a condition of the brain which can disrupt the electrical communication between neurons in the nervous system.
This often leads to seizures, a sudden event that can change a person’s awareness, behaviour or feeling.
A number of different triggers can cause epilepsy.
These can be human factors, including sleep deprivation, alcohol, drug abuse or not eating well.
Stress, hormonal changes or the use of certain medications can also cause epilepsy.
When changes in the hormones that control your menstrual cycle cause you to have more seizures, it’s called catamenial epilepsy (or cyclical epilepsy).
Women with this type of epilepsy may have more seizures in the run up to and during their menopause. But after the menopause, they often have less.
Hormonal manipulation, including taking oral contraceptives, HRT or – more drastically – having a hysterectomy can help control hormones.
An Epilepsy Action spokesman said: “Epilepsy has a huge impact beyond the seizures themselves – these could be not being able to drive to difficulties at work or with loved ones. Any decision to have surgery such as a hysterectomy will not be taken lightly.
“Catamenial epilepsy is when changes in women’s hormonal cycle causes them to have more seizures.
“If women think they might have catamenial epilepsy, they should keep a seizure diary for three months to see if there is a clear pattern.
“If there is, they can discuss possible further treatment options alongside epilepsy medication.”

She said: “Every time it happens, from head to toe I’m aching.
“I feel like I’ve run a marathon. I’m depressed and anxious to go out.
“I can’t take a bath unattended – and now it seems I can’t even dry myself with a towel.
“I’ve lost all independence.”
Epilepsy Action spokesperson Chantal Spittles said: “We have heard stories of women with epilepsy choosing to have a hysterectomy because of hormone-related seizures. “However, doing so would a last resort after all other treatment options had been exhausted.
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“Epilepsy has a huge impact beyond the seizures themselves – these could be not being able to drive to difficulties at work or with loved ones. Any decision to have surgery such as a hysterectomy will not be taken lightly.
“Catamenial epilepsy is when changes in women’s hormonal cycle causes them to have more seizures.
“If women think they might have catamenial epilepsy, they should keep a seizure diary for three months to see if there is a clear pattern. If there is, they can discuss possible further treatment options alongside epilepsy medication.”
Collects The 30-year-old has been forced to take time off from work
Collects The young woman said she believed she had been laying on the radiator for 30 minutes
Collects Doctors tried several skin grafts
Collects The injuries damaged nerves on Natasha’s shoulder
Collects Natasha said the incident had left her scared to cook or even take a shower by herself
Collects The incident happened last year, with Natasha’s injuries taking months to heal

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